Second Chance At Love
by HP Slash Luv
Summary: Post Season 7. Buffy chooses a shanshu'd Angel over him. What happens when a heartbroken Spike ends up in a different reality?


**Title:** Second Chance At Love  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Pairing(s)/Character(s):** Spike/Buffy  
 **Warnings:** None  
 **Disclaimer:** Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.  
 **Word Count:** 1,667  
 **Summary:** Post Season 7. Buffy chooses a shanshu'd Angel over him. What happens when a heartbroken Spike ends up in a different reality?

 **Notes:** I haven't wrote Spuffy in a long time, but I hope it's okay.

 **Written for Grace (WolfWinks)**

 **Ultimate Writer Challenge  
** _Prompt - Write for another fandom (2/2)_

xXx

"So, you're choosing, Angel?" Spike asked.

His heart clenched at the guilty look on Buffy's face. Even without a verbal response, that was answer enough. "He's human," she said as if that explained everything. And in her mind, it probably did.

Angel—with warm skin, a beating heart, and _Buffy_ —wore a superior smile on his face as he and Buffy walked hand-in-hand away from Spike.

He watched the love of his unlife walk away with another man and shook his head, unable to comprehend how everything went so wrong so quickly.

He thought his devotion to her had made a difference. He thought she saw how much he loved her because he sought out his soul for her. He risked his unlife at her side for years. When she was dead, he protected Dawn like he promised he would, even though he never expected a reward in return. None of it made a difference. She still chose his grandsire, all because of his new heartbeat.

It wasn't fair but that was the story of his unlife. When had he ever gotten anything he wanted?

xXx

Months had passed since that fateful day. Although Spike sometimes liked to indulge in a little self-pity, he wasn't one to lay around and let things happen to him.

H e was the proactive sort.

So, instead of bemoaning the absolute unfairness that Captain Forehead won again, he became a demon hunter.

He traveled all around the country, hunting demons and saving people. He didn't make friends or really talk to anyone, too afraid of letting someone in, only to find out he wasn't good enough again.

It wasn't much of an unlife, but at least he was never bored.

On one such day, he somehow had ended up back in Los Angeles even though he promised himself he stay away from California as a whole because of Buffy and Angel, but he couldn't since he was chasing a demon that seemed to prefer that particular area.

Spike jumped on its back, but he was thrown off of it. Then before his very eyes, the demon chanted in a language that Spike didn't recognize and a swirling portal opened before it. The demon disappeared inside, and Spike, without thinking of the consequences _(like always)_ jumped through it, following it to wherever the portal led.

Spike took a moment to look around, and it looked like Los Angeles. There didn't seem to be any difference, but he didn't have time to think about it because the demon attacked him, angered that it was followed.

Spike was ready this time, and took out his sword. With a ferocious growl, he leapt towards the demon and fought as hard as he could. He wasn't sure how long it took, but the demon soon laid dead at his feet.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the portal disappear.

Still, just to be on the safe side—it wouldn't be the first time a demon he thought was dead came back to life—he put down his sword, reached down, and broke the neck. He then picked up his sword and chopped it up into smaller pieces.

When he was done, Spike looked down at his handiwork, and then he looked around. It _looked_ like Los Angeles, but how could that be?

He was pretty sure that if he went through a portal, then _something_ was different.

It didn't matter. He was stuck there. He better learn what the difference was and soon.

He sheathed his sword at his side and started walking away, not bothering with clean up. He wondered if there was a Spike here. He wondered if the poof and Buffy was here.

Spike closed his eyes as a stab of pain hit him straight in the chest. Were they together here too?

He spent two nights in Los Angeles, just laying low. He was afraid of what he might find out about Buffy.

He knew that he had to know where he stood, though.

So, on the third night, he ventured out into the city. He went to the demon areas, trying to find out if there was any news about the Slayer.

He didn't find out anything use from the demons that were usually in the know, but he did get all his answers, and it was by accident.

He was patrolling a graveyard, spoiling for a good fight, when he heard shouting. It wasn't shouting because of fear, though. It was shouting due to anger.

"Don't you get it? He was a hero! I'm not going to just get over it and pretend he didn't matter to me!"

 _'Buffy?'_ Spike thought. _'Who died? Probably Captain Forehead!'_

"A Hero? He was no hero! You said you were cookie dough, but you're acting like you're cookies!"

 _'Captain Forehead? And they're fighting. But if Captain Forehead is alive, who's dead? Who are they fighting about?'_

"I said it because I wasn't ready to admit the truth!"

He slowly inched closer, staying downwind so Angel didn't smell him.

He watched the two of them. Angel wore his stupid kicked puppy dog expression, but what surprised him was the fact that Buffy was melting. In fact, she stood rigid, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and her body language screaming for everyone to stay away from her.

"It's just the guilt talking because he died," Angel said with complete certainty.

"There's some guilt," Buffy admitted. "But there's mostly grief because when I finally told him what I should have told him a long time ago, he didn't believe me because he was in the middle of dying! And that was my fault. Guess what? I loved him. He might not have believed me, but I'm done shying away from the truth. And if you actually think I'm going to act like I didn't fall in love with him, then you're delusional. Xander, Willow, and Giles stopped trying to get me to feel a certain way, so you better stop trying to tell me it's wrong to grieve.

Spike couldn't help himself. He came out of hiding and asked, "Who died?"

Buffy whirled around, her eyes wide. Angel, though, looked furious, and for a moment, Spike thought it might be Angelus coming out to play.

"Spike?" she asked.

He stared at her. "You said someone died. Who was it?"

"I told you it was a trick, Buffy. He probably faked the whole thing," Angel crowed.

Buffy glared at the smug vampire. "I know what I saw, and my Spike burned up in the Hellmouth.

Spike blinked. "Your Spike? Wait! I died? But you said you loved him?" He was so confused, but it looked as if he might have figured out the major difference between this reality and the one he came from.

Tears rolled down her eyes. "Yeah. You wore an amulet, caught on fire, and burned up."

"That happened to me, but I got trapped in the amulet and came back, first in spirit, and then corporal, when the thing was delivered to Angel and his crew."

She shook her head. I went back to the crater, hoping to find you alive, or _undead_ , by some miracle. Instead, I found the amulet cracked beneath some rubble."

He looked down, coming to terms that he was technically dead here.

"Where you're from—I'm guessing a different dimension—are you and I close?" she asked hopefully.

He remembered his previous pain. "We were, and I thought my devotion to you, um, _her_ , changed things, but when Captain Forehead was shanshu'd, you chose him over me."

She walked closer to him so they were within touching distance. "I'm so sorry for my other self. Obviously, she wasn't as smart as me."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Smart?"

"I learned from my past mistakes. You didn't believe me when I told you I loved you because you were dying, and you thought I was just granting your wish because of that. Knowing it was my fault you didn't believe me killed something inside of me. I'm not making that mistake again. I love you."

Spike shook his head. "No you don't, but—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Buffy growled. "I already heard it down in the Hellmouth. And it's true."

"I'm not saying you didn't love that Spike, but I'm not sure how similar I am to him. We might have shared some of the same experiences, but there could be a lot more differences than we're aware of. I'm different from your Spike. You're different from my Buffy."

She took his head and shivered as he curled his fingers around hers. "Maybe you're right, but I'm sure I'll fall in love with you because I'm sure the similarities outweigh the differences. And when you get down to the heart of the matter, you're still Spike." She paused, and for the first time, she looked fearful. "Are you saying you won't be able to fall in love with me?"

"I'm not saying that at all. I know I could easily love you. I guess I just don't want to get my hopes up that the sentiment will be returned. My Buffy sure didn't want me."

"She's an idiot," Buffy stated. "I want you. Please. We're getting a second chance. Let's not blow it.""

Spike stared into her eyes and read hope, sadness, and love in her gaze. He saw nothing but her honest desire for another chance at love with him.

He knew he was risking his heart. She might decide he was too different from the Spike that managed to capture her elusive heart, but he said it once before, and he'd say it again. He was love's bitch, and he was man enough to admit it.

"Okay, another chance."

She smiled, and he found himself returning it.

They both ignored Angel's angered growl and stomping away. They had more important things to focus on. Like each other.


End file.
